Steve Von Till — Alone In The World Of Wounds

Alone In The World Of Wounds is the seventh solo album from Steve Von Till. It’s an eight-track affair, which blends/melds elements of sombre folk rock, country, ambient prog, forlorn string elements, and glum singer-songwriter tropes.

The album is available as either an LP, CD, or digital download. I’m reviewing the second of these- the CD comes presented in a thick cardboard mini gatefold- this has shades of grey, black and gold palette- on the front cover we have an illustration of a wolf standing with back drop of mountains, and on the back an ornate/ empty chair sitting in front of the same faint/ grey mountain backdrop.

Each of the eight songs featured has run times between four and six minutes, with only one track nearing the eight-minute mark. Throughout, there is a very world-weary, rundown, and out-of-luck feeling to the tracks. I’d guess, comparison-wise, you could say Nick Cave as his more stripped back/ yet subtle string-edged, the Swans at the more pared back country rock end of their sound, or even Tom Waits- at his more stark piano ballad bound.

The album opens with “The Corpse Road” which feels like a more gothic string swooned and simmered take on pared-back/ambient Pink Floyd- the track is full of earthy and glum serenity.   Moving into the album “Distance” has a slow-mo waltz meets doom jazz beats vibe, with Till’s smoke & liquor worn vocals wonderfully crackling & moody gliding on top.

In the album's second half, we move to the slowly bounding piano keys & mournful string hover of “The Dawning Of The Day” with Till giving more of a poetic spoken word presentation to his vocals. Onto the slowly tolling/ wavering clean guitars and mournful cellos of “River Of No Return”.

I’d say Alone In The World Of Wounds sits at the more approachable end of Mr Till’s output, as the songs feature clearly defined melodies and largely formal/non-wandering song structures.